Better-Than-Average Bumbling from "The Man Who Knew Too Little" by Homer Yen (c) 1997
Starring Bill Murray, TMWKTL is a light comedy that offers a clever premise. Wallace Ritchie (Bill Murray), a meek and likable doofus, somehow manages to unwittingly immerse himself in an international espionage plot without even being aware of what's going on around him. This happens because when he pays an unexpected visit to his successful brother, James (Peter Gallagher), who is hosting a very important dinner, Wallace is asked to leave and to return later that evening. To keep Wallace busy for the next several hours, Ritchie buys him a ticket to the Theatre of Life, an interactive, participatory game for only one person. Consider it a low-tech version of Michael Douglas's experience in "The Game".
Trepidatious and oozing with humility, he waits by a phone booth where a soon-to-come phone call from the Theatre of Life will set the game in motion. Ring-ring-ring! The shadowy voice on the other side instructs Wallace to go to an address. Wallace thinks that the game has begun, but that particular phone call was intended for a hit man who would arrive minutes later. Wallace, believing that this is all part of the show, in all his folksy glory, begins to bumble his way through a series of amusing episodes, never really knowing the imminent danger that he is in the or the high stakes of the situation that he has entered. It's all just fun and laughs for him. However, he seems to enjoy his time slightly more than the audience.
This movie does boast several positive points. What you'll find entertaining is the neutral dialogue that is exchanged as Wallace meets up with all sorts of bad guys and even the woman that he is supposed to kill. The conversations take on a double meaning with Wallace meaning one thing and the bad guys assuming another. Also, you'll chuckle at the way he unknowingly outraces police cars, outsmarts villains, and outmaneuvers pursuers. Blissfully unaware of the real danger and just plain lucky, Wallace manages to flummox the evil-doers at every, ridiculous turn.
What this movie lacks is the manic energy required to fuel this kind of screwball comedy. There are some very funny scenes, all thanks to Murray's comical abilities. But all the while, it seems like an explosion of laughter should be imminent, but it never quite elevates itself beyond grins and giggles. Murray is not the kind of star that can take a film by himself to great comical heights. The comedy produced here is a result of his reaction to his situation, which he views as just another impromptu scene in the Theatre of Life. However, the lack of energy is not really his fault as the story prevents him from 'working the audience.'
Still, Murray is affable, the unraveling of the story is fun to watch, and at 94 minutes in running time, it's very tolerable.
Grade: C+
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